This invention relates generally to storage bins of the type having a base and a plurality of upstanding side and end walls mounted on the base to form sides of the bin. More particularly, the invention pertains to large duty storage bins having gates or doors that allow side access to the interior of the bins.
The prior art is filled with myriad storage bins designed for storing and transporting articles of various sizes, shapes and weights. Many prior art bins are of the collapsible type, with side walls and end walls that are pivotally connected to the base of the bin so that the side walls and end walls can be folded over the base by pivoting them inwardly. The collapsibility of the bins facilitates their shipping and storage when empty.
Some of these prior art bins include means for providing accessibility to the interior of the bins from the side. Side access is desirable because it is safer and more efficient than leaning over and into the container when inserting or withdrawing articles from the container. This is particularly important for manufacturers and other businesses that work with particularly large or heavy articles, which require correspondingly large storage bins. It is also particularly important for workers that use such bins in an assembly line environment having strict time schedules and very little floor space. For example, an assembly line worker at a manufacturing facility may have only a few seconds to move a heavy article from one part of the assembly line into the interior of one of the bins. To address these concerns, some prior art bins have been designed with gates or access doors that provide accessibility from the side of the bin.
One such prior art bin includes a "drop gate" that is pivotally mounted in one of the side walls or end walls of the bin. The gate is opened by pivoting it downward relative to the bin about a horizontally disposed hinge axis to allow side access to the interior of the bin. However, the size of such drop gates is inherently limited. The hinge axis must be located no more than halfway down the side of the container so that the gate can be pivoted to a fully open position without hitting the floor or blocking fork lift channels in the lower portion of the bin.
Other prior art bins include a removable side wall that can be removed to provide access to the bin interior from the side. With the removable side wall removed, the width and height of the access opening is virtually the same as the width and height of the bin itself. However, when the removable side wall is removed, the bin loses the structural integrity that was provided by the removed side wall Such bins are also inefficient in an assembly line environment since workers must spend valuable time removing and later replacing the side wall. Also, the removed side wall panel may get separated from the bin.